One in 10 Australians are now seeking relief, and 1 in 200 people are homeless.

BeefBank is a charity established by the Rotary Club of Brisbane Centenary Inc. Our sole purpose is to provide meat (usually beef) to charities supporting Queenslanders in need.

It might seem strange that the Rotary Club of Brisbane Centenary should set up a charity solely to distribute meat. However, charities like the Salvation Army, church groups and welfare organisations that provide these meals have very little access to meat protein. This is of course an important and essential source of nutrition in any diet, especially for families. BeefBank is the Rotary Club of Brisbane Centenary’s way of assisting other groups in providing meals for those in need.

BeefBank partners with many others to enable the supply of meat. Our partnerships include cattle buyers, farmers, state prisons, abattoirs and transport companies and allow us to function in the most cost effective and efficient way.

Why do we need to do this?

Despite almost two decades of economic growth nearly a quarter of the population in Queensland still live in low economic resource households and 12.8% live below the poverty line. The prices of essentials like food, health, education, housing, utilities and transport have climbed so much in recent years that people who are already struggling are susceptible to sudden bill shock and financial disadvantage.

The current economic climate means people are turning to charity who would never have dreamed of seeking such support in the past. So it’s not just traditionally vulnerable groups such as the homeless seeking food relief, but also the aged, single parents and the working poor.

Charities, which only exist to meet this need are experiencing an alarming increase in demand. In the last twelve months Foodbank has experienced an 11% increase in community groups seeking food assistance. Charities report having to turn away 134 people a month on average – 72 of whom are children.

For more information about the homeless in Australia please visit the Homelessness Australia website.

Want to learn more about how we help?

The following video provides more insight into why we started to help: